Splice straightener for aerial conductors

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is disclosed comprising a U-shaped channel with fulcrum ledges running the length of same, which is engaged about a bent splicing sleeve, and a lever cam with handle, with which a straightening force is applied. The lever cam, when inserted into the channel, cooperates with the fulcrum ledges in transmitting a straightening force applied to the splicing sleeve.

United States Patent [72] Inventors JamesA.Kelly,Jr.

3712 Woodland Ave., Drexel Hill, Pa. 19026;

Daniel A. McLaughlin, Gradyville, Pa. (Box 17, Valley Road, Glen Mills,Pa. 19342) 803,380

Feb. 28, 1969 Mar. 9, 1971 Appl. No. Filed Patented SPLICE STRAIGHTENERF OR AERIAL CONDUCTORS 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 140/ 147, l40/ 123, 72/458 Int. Cl B211 l/02 Field of Search140/ 106, 123, 147; 72/446, 458, 463, 473, 478, 481, 482, 386, 457, 459

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 222,469 12/1879 Depue 72/457475,261 5/1892 Winton 140/123 497,116 5/1893 Brown l40/l 23 3,30l,0361/1967 Davis, Jr 72/457 Primary Examiner-Lowell A. Larson Attomey-Pauland Paul ABSTRACT: An apparatus is disclosed comprising a U- shapedchannel with fulcrum ledges running the length of same, which is engagedabout a bent splicing sleeve, and a lever cam with handle, with which astraightening force is applied. The lever cam, when inserted into thechannel, cooperates with the fulcrum ledges in transmitting astraightening force applied to the splicing sleeve.

PATENTED MAR 9 Ian rm m mn w Tw n N M EA V A WSI. m bl n ATTORNEYS.

SlPLllCE STRAHGHTENER FOR F-r 1 L (IONDEJQTORS BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention lies in the field ofstraighteners and, more particularly, straighteners for longitudinallycurved elongated ductile metal objects such as splices in aerialconductors.

2. Description of the Prior Art Splicing of distribution and secondaryaerial conductors is conventionally accomplished with aluminumcompression splicing sleeves which engage the ends of the connectingconductors and are compressed thereon with a compression tool which isused to make a row of transverse indentations in the sleeve. When thecompression tool is of the type powered with compressed air, this actionalso usually causes a pronounced longitudinal curvature of thesleeve-This curvature does not affect the technical characteristics ofthe conductor but is aesthetically undesirable, and consequently anyextreme curvatures are corrected by the lineman Such correction hasconventionally been accomplished by striking the sleeve with a hammeragainst a small hand-held iron anvil. This method of straightening thesleeve is inefficient and inconvenient because the anvil used subtendsonly a small portion of the arc, the taut conductor has considerableelasticity and bounce and the transverse orientation of the sleevecurvature is sometimes at a very awkward angle for wielding the hammer.Further, such hammer blows tend to loosen the grip of the splicingsleeve on the conductors.

' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of our invention is toprovide apparatus for straightening curved splices in aerial conductorswhich is simple, convenient, lightweight, inexpensive and effective forthe purpose and which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

it is a further object of our invention to provide apparatus with whichto straighten curves in splicing sleeves of aerial conductors withoutafiecting the grip of the splicing sleeve on the conductors.

Accordingly, this invention provides anovel and effective tool forstraightening curved splices in aerial conductors which comprises achannel for engagement about the splice and a cooperating lever cam forapplying the straightening force. The channel has a generally U-shapedtransverse section, open at the top, for receiving therein the spliceand the camming portion of the lever cam, and is of sufficient length toaccommodate at least a substantial portion of the sleeve. The upperportions of the lateral edges of the channel are folded 180 inwardly,thus forming fulcrum ledges running the full length of the channel,these ledges being spaced apart sufficiently to receive the splicetherebetween. The lever cam has a generally circular camming surfaceinterrupted by a substantial flat portion and is provided with a pair ofopposed laterally extending fulcrum pins for engaging the fulcrum ledgesand a handle which extends outwardly between the ledges.

in operation, the channel is engaged about the splicing sleeve which isto be straightened, the lever cam is slid into the channel from one endbetween the sleeve and the fulcrum ledges so that the fulcrum pins arein engagement therewith. By manipulation of the handle the lever campins react against .the fulcrum ledges to straighten the sleeve byforcing it toward the flat bottom of the channel. Pressure on the handleis then eased so that the cam can be slid farther into the channel forsimilarly straightening an adjacent portion of the curved sleeve. inthis manner the sleeve is progressively straightened over the fulllength of the channel, after which the channel may be moved to anotherportion of the sleeve as further straightening is required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view ofa splicing sleeve connecting two conductors.

H68. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the channel and handled lever cam,respectively. FIG. 4 is an end view on the line 4-4 of FIG. 6, whichshows the relationship of the channel and cam with respect to each otherand with respect to the curved splicing sleeve during the straighteningprocedure. H6. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG.4 showing the outline of the cam surface.

H6. 6 is a sectional side elevational view of the channel with curvedsplice therein, showing the position of the cam in readiness forstraightening the splice, and FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showinga subsequent stage in the straightenmg process.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end view of a modification of the channel ofFIG. 2.

I DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing,FIG. 1 shows an aerial conductor which has been spliced, the splicingsleeve I covering and binding together the abutting ends of theconductors 1a and lb within. A row of transverse indentations 1c in thesleeve 1, made with a pneumatic-powered compression tool, has produced atypical longitudinal curvature in the sleeve as illustrated.

The flat bottom 2b of an open-top U-shaped channel 2, illustrated inFIG. 2, comprises the anvil of the straightening tool. The upper portionof the lateral edges of channel 2 is curved inwardly and then downwardlythus forming fulcrum ledges 3 which run the length of the channel. Theopen part 2a of the channel between the ledges 3 is sufficiently wide topermit the channel to be readily engaged about the splicing sleeve whichis typically up to three-fourth inches in diameter. The length of thechannel is conveniently about 10 inches for subtending a substantialportion of the splicing sleeve, which conventionally is on the order ofl2 1 6 inches long.

A lever cam 5 having a handle 4 thereon is illustrated in FIG. 3. Thecamming area of earn 5 is approximately circular interrupted by acomparatively flat portion 7 and the cam surface is transversely groovedso as to engage the sleeve over a relatively broad transverse area tominimize the stress concentrations on the sleeve surface. The ends ofthe flat portion of the cam are curved gradually to meet the circularportion. The handle, in a typical embodiment, is approximately 1 ft.long, is attached rigidly to the lever cam and extends in the plane ofthe camming area oppositely from the flat portion and at a slight anglefrom a perpendicular thereto. Attached to the lever cam, and extendinglaterally outward from the perpendicular to the camming area, areopposed fulcrum pins 6. These fulcrum pins are disposed near the flatportion of the cam between the ends of the flat portion but displacedfrom the center thereof.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the manner in which the lever cam cooperates with thechannel for applying a straightening force to the splicing sleeveforming part of an aerial conductor. The channel 2 is placed over thesplicing sleeve 1 in such transverse orientation thereto that thecurvature of the sleeve is convex upward with respect to the bottom ofthe channel. The lever cam 5 is then slid in from one end of thechannel, the flat surface of the grooved cam sitting on the sleeve andthe fulcrum pins 6 sliding in under the fulcrum ledges 3. The fulcrumpins 6 extend outwardly from the cam 5 a sufficient distance to engagefulcrum ledges 3 without binding against the inside lateral edges 20 ofthe channel 2. From the transverse view of FIG. 4 it can be seen thatthe reaction force of the curved sleeve against the lever cam 5 istransmitted through the fulcrum pins 6 to the fulcrum ledges 3, todeform the sleeve against the flat bottom 2b of the channel, thereby tostraighten the sleeve.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The lineman engages the channel 2 about a badly curved splicing sleevell of a taut aerial conductor, in such manner that the sleeve curvatureis convex with respect to the bottom 2b of the channel 2. The lever cam5 is then slid into the left end of channel 2 with the flat portion 7 ofthe cam engaging the sleeve and the fulcrum pins 6 engaging the fulcrumledges 3. The lineman then rotates the handle 4 in a clockwise directionuntil the sleeve is compressed moderately tightly. The entire assemblyincluding the conductors extending from each end, is then turned in atransverse plane until the handle is oriented for most convenientmanipulation by the lineman.

With the assembly held in such transverse orientation, the cam isforcefully further rotated clockwise, as illustrated in FIG. 6, therebyapplying a straightening force to the sleeve. As the cam is rotated, theedge of the straight portion forces the cable down toward the bottom 21)of the channel, while the fulcrum pins 6 remain pressed against thefulcrum ledges 3, thereby transmitting the downward force which isapplied to the handle. The clockwise rotation of the cam is thencontinued until the portion of the sleeve to the left of the cam isstraightened out along the channel bottom as shown in FIG. 7.

Upon straightening a portion of the sleeve, the cam is released by acounterclockwise rotation of the handle, and is then slid to the rightuntil it is again engaged on a further portion of the sleeve whichremains curved. The straightening and sliding process is repeated inthis manner until the entire sleeve has been straightened to anacceptable shape. It is to be noted that the offcenter disposition ofthe fulcrum pins 6 with respect to the flat portion 7 of the lever camprovides for selective reversal of the cam in order to straightensleeves of different diameters.

The use of the lever cam in the above manner to straighten curvedportions of the splice against the bottom of the channel produces adistributed rather than an impact stress, and thus minimizes anytendency to loosen the mechanical bond between the splicing sleeve andthe conductors.

To reduce the stress concentration on the under surface of the spliceduring the straightening process, the bottom of the channel may beprovided with a transverse arcuate groove 2d as illustrated in FIG. 8.

Although this invention has been described with specific reference tostraightening of curved splicing sleeves, it is obvious that it can beused to straighten elongated objects of any material such as cables,rods, bars, pipes and tubes. The channel and lever cam may be made ofany materials of adequate strength for suitably deforming the object tobe straightened, but in the interest of minimizing the weight to becarried aloft by the lineman for the purpose of straightening badlycurved splicing sleeves, these components are preferably respectivelyfabricated of materials having a minimum of weight consonant with thedesired strength.

With respect to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, it is to beunderstood that instead of the lateral edges of the channel being bentinwardly 180, any degree of bending could be employed sufficient to forma suitable reaction ledge against which the fulcrum pins press.Similarly, the shape of the camming area need not be generally circularbut may be of any shape adequate for the purpose and specificallysuitable for a particular application.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for straightening an elongated ductile object, comprising:

a. a generally U-shaped channel having an open top for receiving thereina bent portion of said object through said open top;

b. said channel having a generally flat bottom surface;

c. the lateral sides of said channel having along their tops inwardlyextending ledges provided with downward fulcrum surfaces;

d. a cooperating lever cam having an arcuate camming surface engageablewith said object;

e. oppositely extending lateral pins on said lever cam engageablerespectively with said fulcrum surfaces;

f. an operating handle on said cam extending perpendicularly to saidpins; g. said channel and said cam cooperating in such manner that whensaid object is engaged in said channel with a portion thereof spacedfrom the channel bottom, said cam is insertable in an end of the channelwith its handle extending outwardly thereof, its pins engaging saidfulcrum surfaces and its camming surface engaging said object at saidportion spaced from said channel bottom and on the side away therefrom;and

h. whereby rotation of said handle on an axis transverse to said channelwill cause said cam to press said portion of said object toward saidchannel bottom to straighten said object.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said object is ofgenerally circular transverse shape and is longitudinally curved; and

a. said cam surface has:

1. a relatively flat portion for longitudinally engaging said object,and

2. a concave transverse shape for transversely generally engaging saidobject,

b. whereby to distribute the cam pressure over a substantial portion ofthe surface of said object.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the bottom of said channelis longitudinally grooved for general engagement with the contiguoussurface of said object, whereby to distribute the reaction pressure fromsaid channel over the contiguous surface of said object.

4. The method of straightening a curved splicing sleeve in an aerialconductor which comprises:

a. placing about said sleeve a generally flat-bottomed opentop U-shapedchannel which subtends at least a substantial portion of said sleeve,the sleeve curvature being convex with respect to the bottom of saidchannel and in such transverse orientation therewith that the plane ofsaid curvature is perpendicular to the bottom of said channel, and thelateral sides of said channel having along their tops inwardly extendingledges provided with downward fulcrum surfaces;

b. inserting in an end of said channel and over said sleeve a camhaving:

l. an arcuate surface conformable to and engageable with said sleeve;

2. opposed laterally protruding pins extending under and engageable withsaid fulcrum surfaces; and

3. a handle perpendicular to said pins, in such manner that said arcuatesurfaces engage said sleeve, said pins engage said fulcrum surfaces andsaid handle extends outwardly of said channel;

c. rotating said cam in a longitudinal plane until said sleeve isgripped tightly enough between said cam and said channel so that saidchannel, said cam, said sleeve and the portions of the conductoradjacent each end thereof can be rotated as a unit in a transverse planeagainst the reaction of the conductor without slippage of said channelabout said sleeve;

d. rotating said handle in said transverse plane until said handle is ina convenient position for further rotating said cam in said longitudinalplane to increase the pressure on said sleeve;

e. forcefully further rotating said cam in said longitudinal plane todeform said sleeve toward the bottom of said channel; and

f. reversing the rotation of the handle in the longitudinal plane torelease the grip on said sleeve.

5. The method set forth in claim 4 including the steps of:

a. inserting said cam farther into said channel to engage a new curvedportion of said sleeve; and

b. repeating the deforming operation at said new curved portion of saidsleeve.

1. Apparatus for straightening an elongated ductile object, comprising:a. a generally U-shaped channel having an open top for receiving thereina bent portion of said object through said open top; b. said channelhaving a generally flat bottom surface; c. the lateral sides of saidchannel having along their tops inwardly extending ledges provided withdownward fulcrum surfaces; d. a cooperating lever cam having an arcuatecamming surface engageable with said object; e. oppositely extendinglateral pins on said lever cam engageable respectively with said fulcrumsurfaces; f. an operating handle on said cam extending perpendicularlyto said pins; g. said channel and said cam cooperating in such mannerthat when said object is engaged in said channel with a portion thereofspaced from the channel bottom, said cam is insertable in an end of thechannel with its handle extending outwardly thereof, its pins engagingsaid fulcrum surfaces and its camming surface engaging said object atsaid portion spaced from said channel bottom and on the side awaytherefrom; and h. whereby rotation of said handle on an axis transverseto said channel will cause said cam to press said portion of said objecttoward said channel bottom to straighten said object.
 2. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein said object is of generally circulartransverse shape and is longitudinally curved; and a. said cam surfacehas:
 2. a concave transverse shape for transversely generally engagingsaid object, b. whereby to distribute the cam pressure over asubstantial portion of the surface of said object.
 2. opposed laterallyprotruding pins extending under and engageable with said fulcrumsurfaces; and
 3. a handle perpendicular to said pins, in such mannerthat said arcuate surfaces engage said sleeve, said pins engage saidfulcrum surfaces and said handle extends outwardly of said channel; c.rotating said cam in a longitudinal plane until said sleeve is grippedtightly enough between said cam and said channel so that said channel,said cam, said sleeve and the portions of the conductor adjacent eachend thereof can be rotated as a unit in a transverse plane against thereaction of the conductor without slippage of said channel about saidsleeve; d. rotating said handle in said transverse plane until saidhandle is in a convenient position for further rotating said cam in saidlongitudinal plane to increase the pressure on said sleeve; e.forcefully further rotating said cam in said longitudinal plane todeform said sleeve toward the bottom of said channel; and f. reversingthe rotation of the handle in the longitudinal plane to release the gripon said sleeve.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the bottomof said channel is longitudinally grooved for general engagement withthe contiguous surface of said object, whereby to distribute thereaction pressure from said channel over the contiguous surface of saidobject.
 4. The method of straightening a curved splicing sleeve in anaerial conductor which comprises: a. placing about said sleeve agenerally flat-bottomed open-top U-shaped channel which subtends atleast a substantial portion of said sleeve, the sleeve curvature beingconvex with respect to the bottom of said channel and in such transverseorientation therewith that the plane of said curvature is perpendicularto the bottom of said channel, and the lateral sides of said channelhaving along their tops inwardly extending ledges provided with downwardfulcrum surfaces; b. inserting in an end of said channel and over saidsleeve a cam having: l. an arcuate surface conformable to and engageablewith said sleeve;
 5. The method set forth in claim 4 including the stepsof: a. inserting said cam farther into said channel to engage a newcurved portion of said sleeve; and b. repeating the deforming operationat said new curved portion of said sleeve.